In the same year it had its paris premier, in french, with denise duval as blanche, the blanche in this recording and. Poulenc, francis ave maria from dialogue des carmelites. Poulenc belonged to a circle of entertaining radicals who moved, pushed, yanked and shoved french music forward from the era of debussy and ravel. Ce qui est admirable, a mon sens, dans cette oeuvre, ce sont les deux registres sur lesquels joue. Your breath, cold against the hot summer air, is quick and ragged. Dialogues of the carmelites was only six years old when this performance took place but already becoming known to the operatic world. A chilling dialogues of the carmelites from washington. Standing before the guillotine, eyes blinded by stare of the merciless sun, ears deafened by the cries of the crowd. At the heart of the story is the eviction of a convent of carmelite nuns during the french revolution.
Classic account of a ground breaking work october 9, 2016 by john s. The opera premiered on january 1957 at the teatro alla scala in milan, italy. The london premiere had already happened a year after the world premiere making this a revival. The synopsis of francis poulenc opera, dialogues des. Ua opera theater with the arizona symphony orchestra performed in english april 7 at 7. Francis poulencs mystical opera is an outlier in his. The searing intensity of poulencs only fulllength opera, dialogues des carmelites about a group of nuns who were executed, at the time of the french revolution, as martyrs to their faith, may be, to some extent, a reflection of the turbulence the composer was experiencing in.
The opera tells a fictionalised version of the story of the martyrs of. Poulencs opera is one of the greatest of the 20th century. Spring opera schedule change please note that ua operas spring 2017 production, dialogues of the carmelites by francis poulenc will present two performances only, instead of four as previously advertised. Under the jacobin dictatorship, 16 carmelite nuns were executed in 1794 in paris. Order from your preferred classical music cd store. Largely based on actual historical events at the time of the french.
The composers second opera, poulenc wrote the libretto after the work of the same name by georges bernanos. Francis poulenc s opera dialogues des carmelites consists of three acts, and takes place in france during the french revolution in the late 18th century. Her entry into the order of the carmelites and her conversations with the other nuns strengthen her and. Dialogues of the carmelites by francis poulenc 18991963. Met opera on demand delivers instant access to more than 500 met performances, including live in hd videos, classic telecasts and radio broadcasts. Chandos records is one of the worlds premier classical music record companies, best known for. Yet, this threeact opera was so riveting, soulsearing, and utterly shocking that audience members were bereft of their senses by the final act, and bereft is no exaggeration.
The music smells of incense even in a production as scrubbed and minimalist as robert carsens. Download the new ipad app to watch on your tv with apple tv via airplay. The met has performed it in both french and english. The drama unfolds in a gripping and straightforward narrative framework of 12. Alain altinoglus musical interpretation and olivier pys pareddown, ascetic directing, acclaimed in paris in 20, make of this work a profound reflection.
For the first time in ten years, the met revived its iconic production of francis poulencs opera, dialogues des carmelites dialogues of the carmelites, which opened this afternoon. Libretto by the composer based on the play by georges bernanos. Doctor of philosophy musicology, december 2011, 205 pp. Piano, vocal sheet music book by francis poulenc 18991963.
Poulenc dialogues des carmelites, les 3 fl, 2 ob, eh, 2 cl, bs cl, 2 bsn, contra, 4 hrn, 3 trp, 3 tbn, tuba, timp, perc, harp, piano, strings. Shop and buy dialogues of the carmelites sheet music. Teatro alla scala, milan, 1957 one of the most successful operas of the 20th century, dialogues des carmelites is a rare case of a modern work that is equally esteemed by audiences and experts. Francis poulenc composer 18991963 play streams in full or download mp3 from classical archives, the largest and best organized classical. This new recording, then, another in chandos opera in english series, is not the usual anomaly the series has tended to represent, but it is an excellent. Poulenc dialogues des carmelites dervaux diabolus in. The whole piece is imbued with his sympathy for their plight and the personal predicaments the nuns are forced to endure. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. How the twist of a current event can bring a work alive. Dialogues des carmelites dialogues of the carmelites is an opera in three acts, divided into twelve scenes with linking orchestral interludes, with music and libretto by francis poulenc, completed in 1956.
Poulencs unorthodox dialogues des carmelites the boston. The curtis opera theatre, in association with opera philadelphia and kimmel center for the performing arts, presents poulencs powerful opera dialogues of the carmelites with three soldout performances march 5, 7, and 9 in the perelman theater at philadelphias kimmel center. Dialogues des carmelites final scene salve regina f. Written in the lowkey conversational style of debussys pelleas et melisande, francis poulencs opera les dialogues des carmelites is one of his finest works from his last period of composition. Far from being an opera about how faith put to the ultimate test offers a path to redemption, this dialogues of the carmelites feels like a difficult meditation on the power of fear, and not just individual psychology of fear but the frenzy of group hysteria. Its also the longest and most ambitious of his sacred works which include stabat mater 1950 and gloria 1936. Use ctrlf to search this page for keywords or names. Poulenc was totally dedicated to his opera about the sacrifice of the carmelite nuns in the french revolution. Francis poulenc dialogues des carmelites in focus premiere. It has no romantic love affair, being concerned rather with the relationships among an order of french carmelite nuns. Francis poulencs piece, which focuses on tests of faith, is one of the few french operas written in the second half of the 20th century that has become part of the opera repertoire.
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